Electric switch.



JOHN DUNCAN, CU? NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specication of Letters Patent.

latenteol lFelo. ille?, MMS.-

.pplication filed December 28. i916. Serial No. 139,390.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN DUNCAN, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to switches for electric motors and has particular reference to devices of this character which automatically make and break the motor-operating circuit at such times as are required by the condition of the mechanism that is driven by the motor. y

A articular object of my invention is to provide an improved switch for controlling the operation of an electric motor employed for winding a spring motor such as used in phonographs. I do not limit inyseli, how-I ever, to such application of the switch, and therefore I do not illustrate ani/'spring inotor`but reserve the right to apply ni iniproved switch and its automatic shifting' mechanism to any mechanism which is driven by an electric motor, which driven mechanism carries rotating members to actuate the star-wheels of my improved switch-shifting mechanism.

Of the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved mechanism, looking from what would loe the inner'side in'use, meaning, by inner side `that side which would.y be next to the mechanisin which operatestlie switch and which mechanism is not necessary to illustrate herein for reasons which will he presently understood.

Fi 2 is a side eievation, partly broken `out t e switch beingclosed.

ig'. 3 is a view from a direction opposite to-that in Fig. l.

Fig. -4is a view similar tobFig. 2, showing thelswitcli open. Y.

FigQ is an end elevation from the right of Fig. 2.

Figs. 6 and 7 ere sectional views of the two stai' wheels and their sleeves and motion retarding disks.

Similar reference characters indicate similar arts in all of the views.

The frame 1 has bearings 2 for two rotatable 'hubs in alinement, a rod having a screw portion 3 ande squared ortion 4 extendin through said hubs. he two hubs are alike excepting as to their ortions through which the rod 3, passes. ne hub Mounted on a smooth cylindrical intermediate portion ofthe rod is a sleeve 7 liavy ing pins 8 projecting from opposite sides, av

screw 9 tapped through one side of the sleeve enteringV an annular groove (Fig. 2) in the rod whereby the rod, when shifting longitudinally, will carry the sleeve with it whether the rod is rotating or not during such shifting, so that said sleeve serves as an actuator :tor the circuit breaker as hereinafter described. A pair of arms ll having' jaws ex- 'tendingl past thepins prevent the sleeve 'l' "roin rotating owing to the engagement of said jaws with the pins 8. The arms 1l are connected by a pin 11i mounted in the upper ends of uprights 10 projecting from the inside of thefi'ame l, and the ends of the arms opposite their aws are connected by a swivel har i5, the purpose orn which will presently be explained. A sto plate 1Q secured to one of the uprights 10 Figs. 2 and 4:) has two ivingsh'ent over the @tiges of seid upright, said wings projecting below one oi the arms l1. As both arms ll are connected to oscillate together., their iimits of niorenfient between. the positions shown by comparing Figs. Q and t are prescribed hy the wings ot' stopplate 12.

A pair of arms l3,.pivotally mounted on the pin 14, are connected at their outer ends by .a bridge plate 16 the ends of which are bent (Fig. i) to maire sliding contact with the dat bent ends of the stationary contacts i9 (Figs. 8 and Ll). Alongitudinally eX-v panding spring 18 confined between the bar i5 and a bar which .connects the arms-13 operates to throw or snap Athe circuit breaker comprising the arms 13 and plate 1G whenever the rocking" of the operatin arms 1l .from the Fig. 2 position to the Fig. 4 position, or vice versa, carries the bar 15 past the plane of the radius or' arms 13. ln tho Fig. 2 position the upper wing of stop plate l2 arrests operating arms il while the contacts l-9 arrest the circuit breaker. and in the Fig. l position the lower wing of stop plate 12 arrests the operating arms 11 While the circuit breaker is arrested by a stop 17 consisting of a Wire in inverted U-iorm, the ends being secured to the sides of the frame (Fig. 2) and its mid-portion crossing from side to side as shown n Fig. l.

The contacts 19 are carried by an'insulating block 25 secured to the frame, and wires' 20, 2l, lead from said contacts to the motor which is to be controlled.

To hold the star Wheel 6 stationary when it is not positively actuated ll provide a housing 22 for a plunger 23 which is held by a spring 24 (Fig. 5) in contact with the disk 5 which is preferably notched to enable the plunger to more firmly hold it and its hub and star Wheel 6. A similar' device acts to hold or retardmotion of the other star Wheel 6.

The operation of my improved switch 'is 4effected by anything which will impart intermittent rotation to the star wheels. For instance, a well-known type of spring motor for operating phonographs and other mechanisms which should have constant speed, includes two 'springs one of which acts upon and through theother. A disk (which may be a part of a spring casing) or a gear carried by one of these springs revolves when the Vmotor is being Wound up, and another disk or gear carried by the casing or shaft of the other spring revolves when thewhole is imparting its power to the phonograph or other mechanism to be driven; in other words, when the spring motor is ruiming down.77 To understand the operation of my present invention, it may be assumed that each of said tWo revolving disks or gears carries a series of pins or .projections which successively engage a stai' wheel and impart thereto a partial rotation. In the type of spring motors referredvto, both of the said disks or gears always rotate in the direction. Therefore rotation of either star wheel will shift -the rod 3, 4 lengthwise and carry with it the sleeve 7 the pins 8 ot' which, by engaging the jaws of arms ll, rock the latter until the circuit breaker 13, 16 snaps across as indicated by comparing Figs. 2

'and '-l to open or close the circuit.

the other disk or gear will intermittently ro4 y' tate theother star wheel until the rod shifts mames back to the Fig. 2 position to cause tl'ie elec tric motor to run again. The movements of the rod as described is due to the fact that the hubs of the two star Wheels can not move in the direction of their axes, and when only the star Wheel 6 is beingrotated, the rod is rotated and is caused to, move endwise by 3 its threads eoacting with the threads in the hub of star wheel 6 which acts as a stationary nut. lWhen only the star wheel 6 is rotated, the'hubl of star wheel 6, by itsen-A gagement with the square portion ot' the rod, prevents the rod from rotating and therefore the Vthreaded hub of the star Wheel 6 acts to shift the rod endwise. improved automatic switch will, when utili'zed with or connected to, a spring motor havin an elecf trical Winder, as described, causel t e rod to.A

shift in one directionor the other and effect a completion or a' breaking of 'the 'motor cir-.- cuit, according to Whether the s ring motor this isy ef-k needs winding up or not. An

fected Without `possibility of the spring mol tor being over-wound or running down too far, and without interfering with the usual hand winding of the spring motor if thej current should fail.

Having now described my invention in one of its embodiments, Awithout attempting ,Y

'to disclose all claim is:

l, An electric switch comprising al circuit4 breaker, a longitudinally movable rod, a' 'cireuit-breaker-actuator mounted onl the rod possible uses thereof, what Iy and movable with it, connections whereby movements of the rod in one direction or the vlofi lli) being mounted-to rotate with the rod While.

permitting the rod to slide through it, and

means 'for preventing movement oi the star.-

wheels in the direction ot' their axes.

3. An electric switch comprising a circuit breaker, a longitudinally movable rod, connections whereby movements ot' the rod in one direction or the othei' will shift the circuit breaker to open or close a circuit, a pair ot' star wheels, one having a screw thread I connection with the rod and the other being mounted to rotate with the rod while permitting the rod to slide through it, and means for preventing movement of the star wheels in the direction of their axes, means being provided for holding the star wheels stationary when not positively actiiaieil.

Il. A switch for automatically controlling a circuit breaker, contacts coperating therewith, a rocking member for actuating the circuit breaker, a screw threaded member having connections for oscillating the rocking member, and means tor rotating the screw threaded member and shifting 1t endwise.

6. in a switch of the character described,

a circuit breaker, contacts coperating therewith, a rocking member, yielding connections between the circ-nit breaker and rocking member, a screw threaded member having connections for oscillating the rocking member, and means for rotating the Screw threaded member and shifting it endwise.

yln test1n1onY wheroot l have aiiiXed my signature.

JOHN DUNCAN. 

